drumsac:jso2897: Meh. I remember Davis speaking contemptuously of what he called "Crow Jim" in a Playboy interview - the tendency of some black jazz musicians to reflexively look down on white jazz musicians. Davis worked with anybody he liked - and that attitude extended the reach and breadth of his work. Paranoids like Mingus shut off entire avenues of their own potential experience, understandable though it may have been.

That's just not true. Mingus worked with plenty of white musicians - Jimmy Knepper, Charlie Mariano, Paul Motian, Jack Walrath, among others. His last collaboration was with Joni Mitchell.

You need to read his autobiography. It would clarify what I am talking about for you - I wasn't using the word "paranoid" in the colloquial sense.

I remember in the early 1980's when Miles Davis was a musical guest on "Saturday Night Live".

Whomever the main guest host was introduced him like he was introducing God himself..."Mister MILES DAVIS!!!!"

The band started and Miles played a few notes as part of the opening signature of the song. Then the sax player did a solo spot, after which they returned to the opening figure where Davis played a few notes like at the beginning. Then the keyboard player does a solo spot, followed by the same recap of the opening figure. The band brought themselves down as Miles prepared to play his solo spot..amid breathless anticipation, Miles bent over and went "BLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEAT!"...back and forth between two notes for slightly less than three actual seconds. Then the band finished up, song over, wild applause.

"...honestly, I can't see how you can make that album (Kind Of Blue) sound any better than it already does. I can't think of any albums that even approached that sound in 1959."

You'd be surprised. A lot of jazz albums back then (and even farther back, yet) sounded impeccable. They were pretty picky when it came to the sound quality of jazz records. Most of the Blue Note catalog of that era sounded excellent, as did many of the Prestige & Riverside titles. But you're right, KOB is a terrific sounding record. Brubeck's "Time Out" was quite hi-fi, too.

browneye

Headline: How badass was Dave Brubeck? Miles Davis was his proud disciple

"I hope this is concerning music and not beating the shait out of women."

If Miles were Dave's disciple in the woman beating department, Miles' wives would have much preferred it, I think... :-) (I know what ya meant, tho.)

jso2897:drumsac: jso2897: Meh. I remember Davis speaking contemptuously of what he called "Crow Jim" in a Playboy interview - the tendency of some black jazz musicians to reflexively look down on white jazz musicians. Davis worked with anybody he liked - and that attitude extended the reach and breadth of his work. Paranoids like Mingus shut off entire avenues of their own potential experience, understandable though it may have been.

That's just not true. Mingus worked with plenty of white musicians - Jimmy Knepper, Charlie Mariano, Paul Motian, Jack Walrath, among others. His last collaboration was with Joni Mitchell.

You need to read his autobiography. It would clarify what I am talking about for you - I wasn't using the word "paranoid" in the colloquial sense.

Oh, I see what you're saying now, my bad. I tried to read the autobiography many years ago and couldn't get very far into it, but I did see the old documentary that includes him getting evicted from his apartment. He was a strange one for sure.